Minutes of the Meeting held on 22 March 2012,
previously circulated, were approved. It was proposed by Cllr Whitehouse and seconded
by Cllr Tingey that they be signed.

Declarations of Interest

There
were none

Matters Arising

Football
Pitch – it was reported that the Clerk had contacted Edingale Parish Council
who had passed on the concerns about litter in the area of the football pitch.
Concern was expressed that litter was still a problem. Agreed that the Clerk
would contact the Trustee of the football pitch direct. The possibility of
raising the matter with the local football authorities was mooted, but it was
agreed not to do that at this time.

Bridge
– it was noted that the coping stone on the bridge had been repaired.

Finance

The
Clerk reported that two invoices had been received for the grass cutting. The
total value was £375. It was agreed that these would be paid.

Cllr
Turner reported on her discussions with Nat West Bank over the Parish Council’s
account and the process for updating the mandate and the signatories on the
account. As the forms previously circulating were no longer in use, a new form
was circulated and signed by those councillors who were to be signatories and
by the clerk in the meeting. A print out of activity on the account since
November had been obtained. The Clerk would check his records and advise of any
gaps in this. Once the forms had been submitted to the bank then statements
would be sent to the Clerk. This would mean that the current mandate would
continue as amended.

Cllr
Whitehouse and Cllr Tingey proposed and seconded this as an appropriate course
of action.

It
was noted that a separate fund existed for the Play Area with Coventry Building
Society and that a similar exercise could be required for this fund. The Clerk
to check his records and confirm the details of this account and then liaise
with Cllr Turner.

It
was pointed out that the annual financial reconciliation would shortly be due
and that this would require an internal audit. The Chair advised that Keith
Johnson had previously done this. It was agreed that the Clerk would meet with
the Chair to discuss this next week.

Queen’s Diamond Jubilee

The
Clerk reported that the Jubilee Medals had been ordered at a cost of
approximately £244. There was a possibility that some of the cost could be
recouped through the Jubilee monies available through Matthew Ellis, though
this could not be guaranteed. Cllr Tiso queried the length of time taken to
order the medals; the Clerk explained that – as noted at the previous meeting –
they had proved difficult to track down (similar difficulties had been
experienced by Edingale Parish Council).

Cllr
Armstrong reported on the plans for a Jubilee picnic and barbecue on the
Village Green over the August Bank Holiday weekend. Again it might be possible
to use Jubilee monies to offset some of the cost. Cllr Whitehouse agreed to
forward the Clerk the cost of hiring a marquee.

Prowind

The
Chair updated the meeting on the situation with Prowind. The Clerk had
circulated an e-mail from the District Council which confirmed that a planning
application had been received, but was – as yet – not validated. This was
because the District Council required more information from the applicant
before the application could be progressed and a consultation initiated.

There
was discussion over the proposal (reported at the meeting on 22nd
March) to engage a planning consultant and how this would be paid for. One idea
had been to organize a public appeal. However, the Clerk had received advice
from the Staffordshire Parish Councils Association that Parish Councils were
prohibited from raising funds in this way. This raised questions over how such
an appeal would be managed and the need to ensure that any monies raised were
refundable if the need arose. Should this go ahead, then the management of it
would need to be completely separate from the Parish Council.

The
idea of a public meeting to raise these issues, along with the wider one of the
actual proposal itself, was mooted and felt to be a good idea. It was agreed
that the Clerk would contact SPCA to ensure that the Parish Council was able to
engage a consultant.

The
Chair reported that the likely cost of the planning consultant would be
approximately £2,500 to appraise and report on the application (which was known
to run to over 400 pages). Concern was expressed that this figure did not
include the cost of representation which could be substantial. The Chair agreed
to ascertain the possible costs of representation.

It
was noted that wind turbines appeared to be less well-regarded than in the
past. It was agreed that the Clerk would write to Tamworth MP, Christopher
Pincher, thanking him for his help in this matter. It was further agreed that
the Chair would contact David Tonks in Clifton Campville for advice on the
matter.

Parking and Road Safety

The
Chair reported that PCSO Karpi had approached the residents of Two Hoots and
Rectory Gates to advise them on the parking issue. Since that visit the problem
had actually become worse. It was agreed that the Clerk would write to the
local police inspector to request
decisive action to resolve the matter. PCSO Karpi had been invited to attend
the meeting, but had indicated that this might not be possible due to police
commitments on the evening.

The
desirability of a community speed watch was discussed and it was noted that
these had been successful in other areas. The Clerk would write to Tony Herring
to invite him to help establish such a scheme in the village.

It
was noted that Clifton were using temporary advisory speed signs. It was agreed
that the Chair would discuss the issue with David Tonks and determine the
viability of such a scheme in Harlaston

Localism and the Village Plan

Noted
that a training session was planned for 15 May with Sue Arnold. A further
training session was due to be held on 22 May at the District Council. Each
Parish Council was entitled to two places. Agreed that the Clerk would reserve
spaces for Cllrs Timmis and Turner.

Newsletter

It
was noted that the March newsletter was late due to Cllr Morris being away on
holiday. The meeting reiterated its thanks to Cllr Morris for his work on this.
Cllr Tiso expressed concern at the content of the Newsletter and the fact that
it was dominated by the Parish Council minutes. It was agreed that the Clerk
would produce the minutes within a week of the meeting and that councillors
would contact Cllr Morris direct with any items they had for possible
inclusion.

Play Area

It
was agreed to submit an application for funding under the Queen Elizabeth II
Fields Challenge Fund for up to £25,000. This was proposed by Cllr Whitehouse
and seconded by Cllr Morris. Cllr Whitehouse would lead on the application and
would ask Sutcliffes, the firm who had quoted for the refurbishment of the
playground, to complete the relevant parts of the application.

Best Kept Village

Cllr
Tingey reported that Harlaston had entered the competition. He planned to
organize a general “tidy-up” of the village (including the football pitch) on
Sunday morning. Posters promoting the village and photographs were sought. It
was agreed to purchase vouchers to use as prizes for the best children’s
poster. Cllr Turner proposed this and it was seconded by Cllr Armstrong.

Flag and Flagpole

The
flagpole had been damaged and needed to be replaced. It was agreed to order a
new one of 60mm diameter as proposed by Cllr Tingey and seconded by Cllr
Morris. The cost would be in the region of £200. However, it was further agreed
that – due to the relatively short period of time since the pole was purchased
– enquiries would be made to see if a refund could be obtained or some kind of
exchange agreed. Cllrs Tiso and Whitehouse to look into this.

Any Other Business

Cllr
Turner reported on concerns amongst some residents over the size of the
conifers at County House. There was uncertainty over what powers – if any -
local authorities had in these matters so the Clerk agreed to contact the
District Council for guidance.

It
was noted that the next meeting would be the Annual General Meeting and would
need to be advertised in the local press. It was further noted that the
financial audit would need to be completed by the end of June. The Clerk would
action these.

Date of Next Meeting

31 May 2012 in the
Village Hall starting at the earlier time of 7.00 pm. This would include the Annual General Meeting.